U.S. Rep. Steve “Cantaloupes” King Should 'Get Therapy' for Bigoted Views on Latinos

U.S. Rep. Steve King is emerging as the Republican Party's de facto spokesman on immigration reform for his very racist views about immigrants and Latinos.

King claimed earlier in July many undocumented immigrants were “drug mules.” According to King, by granting citizenship to undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children — who are commonly known as DREAMers — we are also granting citizenship to these “drug smugglers.”

“For everyone who's a valedictorian, there's another 100 out there who weigh 130 pounds – and they've got calves the size of cantaloupes because they're hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert,” King said during an interview with Newsmax. “Those people would be legalized with the same act.”

King stuck to his previous comments Sunday morning during an interview with David Gregory on NBC's Meet The press, arguing immigration reform would grant citizenship to people who were drug smugglers up to the age of 35 and that immigration advocates just don't understand the full scope of the issue.

Joining the roundtable that morning, Republican strategist Ana Navarro let King have it in an epic rebuke.

Watch the throw-down between the two, and read what King truly believes about Latinos after the jump.

KING:This proposes to legalize a lot of people that will include the people who are drug smugglers up to the age of 35. You cannot do a background check on people that don't have a legal existence in their home country…

NAVARRO:First of all, I think Congressman King should get some therapy for his melon fixation. I think there might be medication for that. I think he's a mediocre congressman with no legislative record and the only time he makes national press is when he comes out and says something offensive about the undocumented or Hispanics…

There are other voices who are the adults in the room and who are working hard towards a reform. I think it's going to happen. I'm more optimistic than most.

GREGORY:Before I let him go, he just heard that. Congressman King, do you want to respond to that in terms of what actually is going to get accomplished?

KING:Well, I would say this. First of all, I spoke only of drug smugglers. If Ana understands the language, she should know that. I didn't insult her or other Republicans and I didn't —

NAVARRO: I'm not undocumented. I vote, Congressman.

Ouch.

King went on rambling about Americans dying from our immigration policy and our “open border,” (Click here to read how our current immigration policy is actually killing thousands of immigrants) making up statistics about drug smuggling and even throwing terrorists into the mix.

Yet these are not the only remarks King has made that are racist and offensive.

Speaking at his anti-immigration reform rally — that no one went to — in Virginia over the weekend, King warnedimmigrants came from inherently violent cultures and would adversely affect U.S. crime rates. Because according to King, societies tend to become more violent as one moves farther south in Latin America.

“If you bring people from a violent civilization into a less-violent civilization, you're going to have more violence, right?” King asked the barely present crowd. “It's like pouring hot water into cold water-does it raise the temperature or not?”

Navarro made an excellent point stating King is actually helping the immigration debate. He is allowing Republicans (and forcing some) to take a civilized approach and call for an actual debate on the issue. Even House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has spoken out against King's racist and ignorant remarks.

“What he said does not reflect the values of the American people or the Republican Party,”said Boehner after one of King's statements.

But, of course, we all know King is only really speaking what is on most Republicans' minds. King previously confessed stating that just a year ago, the entire party agreed with everything he is saying now.

And in that he's right.

All we have to do this recess is sit back and enjoy watching members like King slowly but surely further completely doom the Republican Party.

About Author

Staff writer Omar Araiza covers immigration, Latino voters, the U.S.-Mexico border, and LGBT issues. He is a proud South Texas native, born and raised in the lower Rio Grande Valley. Omar tweets from @AraizaTX.